First computer language

Thomas Kaiser (ubuntu) ubuntu at kaiser-linux.li
Tue Aug 16 19:28:45 UTC 2005


David Walker wrote:

> No matter how many books you read, how many classes you take, there is 
> only one way to learn.  Funny how it works like real languages.  Dive 
> in.  Go download some Perl/Python/Ruby/PHP/C/C++, whatever, and just 
> start reading it.  See how things fit together.  Why does an outcome 
> happen when you get input.
>
> I learned C when I was about 12 by downloading ROM, the mud(online 
> text RPG), and just read the code.  Then I attempted to mimic what was 
> there by making a command for the game.  I failed, first time seeing 
> compiler errors.  So what do I do, figure out what it meant by 
> "code.c: 232: Syntax error before ';'"  So my suggestion is just jump 
> into something and fiddle with it until you see how the language 
> works.  Once you understand how things fit, try adding something to 
> it.  It will most likely not work, but figure out why.  The first time 
> you see your work, working is a great feeling.
>
> By all means if you have a question, I bet you will the first few 
> weeks, ask.  Find a, your language learning here, message board and 
> ask why something is broken, or wrong.  The only stupid question is 
> the one not asked.
>
I fully agree with you. But there are some drowbacks:

This way of learing is called "autodidactic" AFAIK, but not all people 
are able to learn like this.

If you start learnig the programming language in a "debugger" (means 
look at the code and see whats happen) you will start to programm like 
this. You write something and if it compiles you are the first time 
happy, then you start the debugger and fiddel out what you have to do to 
get it doing the right thing. Finally you got your application working 
and you are the second time happy. Everything just runs fine and after 
one year you have to add new functionallity to your application. And you 
don't understand your own code anymore and you don't have any 
documentaion and for sure no design!

So, read a book  or take classes and write your first programm on a 
sheet of paper and look at it after you have wrote it and start to 
think! What happens if the user (the user does _not_ know what you are 
thinking) ........

And then type it, compile it (if you did your homework correct, it 
should compile without problems). Then run your programm, it should just 
work fine. If not you might diden't know something, so you start to learn.

Thomas


-- 
http://www.kaiser-linux.li



-- 
http://www.kaiser-linux.li





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